Friday, March 14

Grace Is Sufficient

Friday, March 14

II Cor. 12:8-9

Many people know of St. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” But no one knows exactly what it was. And that intentional vagueness makes the point. We all have thorns in the flesh.

These demonic sharp and painful points make it hard to think about anything else. It could be an addiction, a physical burden, troubling relationships, unemployment, a mental health condition, unemployment. The list is seemingly infinite.

Paul was no slouch in faith or in prayer. And he apparently was no resistor of burdens and crosses. As a trusting and humble servant of Christ, he did, though, offer up this prayer: Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!  Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. ⁹ And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (II Cor. 12:7-9)

I used to tell my daughter Jennifer, who had acute cerebral palsy, that the Lord was using her in her weakened state to teach others that God does not always heal us, but in the “just as I am” condition He can powerfully reveal a person of joy, faith, and humble service.  Her mom and I also reminded her that through her, many people had come in contact with Jesus, and the Kingdom of God was growing.

It is not sinful to want to suffer less. Jesus prayed that the cup of suffering would pass from Him, as Paul did for the removal of his thorn. They both received a similar answer – no removal of the cross or thorn.

Until Christ returns, God is operating under Plan B, for “burdens,” which can be heavy loads like a cross beam or sharp like a thorn or nail. His power in this fallen world was manifested in weakness:  that is, in  giving up His power (Phil 2) and submitting to pay a bill that was not His.

We see the “wisdom of the cross” (I Cor. 1) and the humility of a servant in Christ. But there is also a bigger picture.

When Jesus told Paul “My grace is sufficient for you,” He was reminding Paul that grace stripped down to its essence–“God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense” — is a whole lot more than what meets the eye! Forgiveness of sin, adoption into God’s eternal family, the resurrection of a glorified never-to-be-weak-or-sick-or-dead body – all of that was in the grace package.  And it still is.

We discussed and affirmed the resurrection of the body regularly with Jen. Her impairments stood as the stark reality of this fallen world. This magnified suffering was an obvious sign the world is broken. But we believe that in Christ’s grace we receive the wholeness we seek, now, and even more later.